It is unusual for the Southeast Asian Games to be held in more humid weather, under winds that carry the scent of December rain.Typically, the SEA Games are always lively during the warm mid-year weather, when the sun's blazing heat creeps into the athletes' hearts.
However, for the Indonesian team, the SEA Games temperature felt colder than the December air, as the contingent set out to fight amidst grief. A harsh reality still hung over the country: hundreds of lives lost, hundreds more unaccounted for, and nearly a million displaced from their homes destroyed by flash floods and landslides.
From afar, the tragedy seemed like a faint, resonant hum, but it wouldn't stop. A total of 921 people died, and 392 are missing in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra. Furthermore, 975,079 people had to start over. The numbers felt too quiet to capture the true chaos.
In a situation like this, the athletes' departure to the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand is never as trivial as preparing suitcases and shoes.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto knows this all too well. Standing at the State Palace before sending off the contingent, he said, "We must not give up. We cannot stop, we cannot cry, we cannot reflect. We must work hard in all areas."
The words rolled slowly through the palace hall, each letter striking young faces who perhaps for the first time understood that their task this time was broader than simply competing for medals.
